Deep Sea Creatures

Part 12

Jack was feeling breathless, but had to force himself to focus.  Mark was depending on his oxygen right now.  It was just so hard, when his mind kept drifting to how Mark's lips felt against his.  Or to how Mark's hands were sliding up his ribcage.  Mark suddenly closed his mouth after taking a deep breath and gently pushed him away.  The gesture hurt.  The first thing popping into his head was that Mark didn't like the contact.  At least, until he saw Mark gesture around.  Jack looked away from Mark and his head cleared.  He had to find a way to get oxygen in.  Mark couldn't do this forever.  Jack raced around the tank, but what could he do?  The tank was only so big and there was nothing to break.  Jack swam up to the roof.  It was all metal grating with a single hatch.  He could stick his fingers through, but he wouldn't be able to breath through them.  The water was just too high. 

Jack checked on Mark.  He seemed ok so far.  Jack swam to the bottom of the tank.  There were tiny rocks, but nothing useful.  He couldn't break the tank with them.  His eyes drifted to the shell bed.  It was the biggest thing in the damn tank.  Jack's thoughts randomly drifted to a memory of Malcolm.  When he claimed to have saved a few people in sunken ships, by making air pockets.  Could he do it with this?  Jack raced to the top of the shell and put all his force into trying to close it or break it down.  The thing was pretty solid.  Jack was just about to give up, when he felt the shell move.  Thrashing his tail harder, Jack targeted all his strength into pushing the top of the shell down.  When it finally snapped off from the base, it sent Jack into the tank glass with a loud thud. 

Jack ignored the pain in his arm as he moved the top of the shell back over the bottom bed shell.  Slipping in, he checked for an air pocket.  There was a small one, but not enough.  So, Jack took a deep breath of water.  He hoped that Malcolm hadn't been pulling his fins when he told him Merpeople could do this.  Rising up into the small air pocket, Jack blew as hard as he could.  The water rippled violently all around him as he forced oxygen in.  It took a few tries before he realized that he could expel air in longer bursts.  When the air pocket was more than big enough, Jack quickly slipped out to get Mark.  Mark was holding his neck and looked like he was concentrating hard.  He needed more air.  Jack swam up to cup Mark's face tenderly, pressing his lips back against his.  Mark's hands grabbed his shoulders in relief.  Jack hadn't been gone that long... but how long was Mark able to hold his breath under water? 

When Jack was sure that Mark was alright, he tapped Mark's jaw with his finger.  He hoped Mark would understand that he needed him to hold his breath.  Jack let one of his hands touch Mark's chest to feel him take a deep breath, before he pulled away.  Taking Mark's wrist, Jack helped him swim over to the shell.  He helped Mark slip in, before following in after him.  Mark coughed loudly inside the air pocket and told Jack relieved.  "Thank you".  Jack rose a little more into the air pocket to answer a little regretful.  "Your welcome".  Mark saw his face, his eyes narrowing as he asked worried.  "What is it"?  Jack lifted his hand out of the water to trace the top of the shell as he mumbled out.  "I don't feel like you should be thanking me. You're in here because of me". 

Mark took ahold of his wrist to draw his attention back, before he told him so tenderly.  "You're right. I'm in here because I was trying to save you. What did you think I was going to do"?  Jack sank in the water until his chin was touching the water as he mumbled back.  "You should have left me. The Heart of Atlantis isn't me... It's you".  Mark stared at him confused and Jack turned his eyes away, adding in.  "It's my love for you. To pay for a life with you, someone I love had to pay. My dad got sick and was dying. I made another deal to save his life and now it wants you. I've made such a mess of everything".  Tears started to fall from Jack's eyes as he tried to sink below the water.  Mark pulled Jack back up by the arm of the wrist he still held, telling him sternly.  "Jack, listen to me! We will get out of this".  Jack sat up to say in a burst of tears.  "There is no way out of this without loosing you"!